Premier Danielle Smith refuted comparisons between her decision to reintroduce the province’s fuel tax with the decision to hike the federal carbon levy.
Both tax changes will be going into effect on April 1, the beginning of the fiscal year.
Smith has been facing criticism for her decision to fully reinstate the tax after it was temporarily suspended in 2022.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is asked how the provincial fuel tax is different from the federal carbon tax? Both taxes will go up on April 1st. pic.twitter.com/R6ZoFngpNZ
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation was chief among critics, blasting the UCP government for the apparently contradictory approach. Smith also fielded criticisms from the opposition NDP.
CTF Alberta director Kris Sims took to social media on Thursday to call the move “very disappointing.”
“This increase of the provincial fuel tax is higher than the carbon tax increase on gasoline,” wrote Sims.
“Easy to throw shoes at the Trudeau government over its callous increase of the carbon tax, but then cranking up your own fuel tax on the same day?”
This is very disappointing.
His increase of the Provincial Fuel Tax is higher than the carbon tax increase on gasoline
Easy to throw shoes at the Trudeau government over its callous increase of the carbon tax, but then cranking up your own fuel tax on the same day?
Smith responded to the comparison on Friday saying that a fee for road usage is not akin to a blanket tax on everything that uses fossil fuels in production or transportation.
“There’s sort of an implicit understanding that when people use the roads, they should pay a portion of the cost so that we can continue to repair them,” said Smith. “It’s part of the reason we brought in an electric vehicle tax as well this year to create that kind of parity.”
Additionally, the UCP government has pointed to the fact that Alberta has some of the lowest gasoline prices in the country.
Smith insisted that Albertans should place their ire at the feet of the federal Liberals over its “punitive taxes.”
“That’s the thinking that we have. But the real problem is the federal government is continuing to just add punitive taxes onto people without any thought of where those dollars are going,” said Smith.
“We also know that the amount of rebate is actually lower than the cost people pay. And that’s where the real problem happens.”
If passed, Justin Trudeau’s “online harms” bill would impose steep restrictions on Canadian’s freedom of expression, potentially limiting the ability to engage in open discourse online. But to truly understand how bad things can get, Canadians can look to Ireland and its pending hate speech bill. Gript senior political correspondent Ben Scallan joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to offer insights from Ireland.
Kate, the Princess of Wales has announced she has cancer in a video released after weeks of speculation about her whereabouts and wellbeing.
Kate, the wife of Prince William, had undergone abdominal surgery in January and follow-up test results revealed a presence of cancer in her body.
In a social media post to X, Kate began by thanking people for their support and understanding over the past several months, while she was privately recovering from surgery.
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 22, 2024
“The surgery was successful, however, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team advised that I should therefore undergo a course of preventive chemotherapy and I’m now in the early stages of that treatment,” Kate continued.
She went on to discuss both the toll it’s taken on her family and the immense support she has received from them in return.
“This of course came as a huge shock and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But most importantly it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them and to reassure them that I’m going to be okay.
“As I’ve said to them, ‘I am well,’ and getting stronger everyday by focusing on the things that will make me heal in my mind, body and spirits. Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both.”
She then asked the public for privacy during this difficult time.
“We hope that you’ll understand that as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment.”
Kate ended her post by taking a moment to acknowledge the toll cancer takes on the population at large, telling others who are suffering similarly not to lose hope.
“My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I’m able,” she said. “But for now I need to focus on making a full recovery. At this time, I’m also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing this disease in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope, you are not alone.”
“It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family,” said the Princess of Wales. “But I’ve had a fantastic medical team who’ve taken great care of me, for which I’m so grateful. In January, I underwent abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was noncancerous.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the diagnosis in a statement posted to social media.
My thoughts are with the Princess of Wales, her children, and the entire Royal Family following the news of her cancer so courageously shared.
On behalf of Canadians, I’m sending my support as she undergoes treatment. We’re all wishing her a swift recovery.
It’s Friday – kick back, grab a drink and tune into the latest episode of Off the Record with Candice Malcolm, Andrew Lawton and Harrison Faulkner!
CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes attempted to be funny and took on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. For Poilievre, they crashed his rally and confronted him during a photo line up. And for Trudeau, they mocked him for his low polling numbers in a music video. Do you think this is funny or is this just another CBC program that should be defunded?
Plus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he thinks about quitting every day and that his job is “boring” and “challenging.” Will Trudeau take a walk in the snow?
These stories and more on Off the Record! Tune in now!
A 46-year-old man was arrested this week following a random attack rampage that culminated in a stabbing.
Vancouver Police Department chief constable Adam Palmer said at a press conference Thursday that the same individual had been recently released from jail and failed to report to his probation officer on Wednesday.
After the suspect, Kent Meades, failed to appear, police received multiple calls about random violent assaults in downtown Vancouver.
At 8:40 a.m., Vancouver police received a report of an attack near Seymour and West Cordova. That was followed by another attack, shortly after.
“Minutes later, a 911 caller reported that a man had entered a coffee shop near Harbour Centre. There was a disturbance causing a glass window to be broken and making customers fear for their safety,” said Palmer.
Two hours later the same suspect began chasing a person with a knife near Main Street and Prior Street, police say.
The man then went on to stab a 61-year-old victim before finally being arrested around noon. The victim was treated for minor injuries.
According to Palmer, Meades has a history with law enforcement, even serving time in prison in Thailand, while he was a tourist.
“We believe he has previously spent time in Surrey and Delta after returning to Canada from Thailand in 2022, where he spent time in custody overseas for multiple offences, including breaking into a bank, causing damage inside of that premises, and overstaying his tourist visa,” said Palmer.
It’s unclear whether probation officers thought Meades was a threat to public safety and what their reasoning behind his release was. Meades was released from jail after serving time for “uttering threats against his own family members and also against prominent federal politicians.”
On the same day that Meades went on his spree, police also received a report of a random assault on a woman.
Meades is facing charges of assault with a weapon, assault and uttering threats. More charges are expected, police say.
MPs rejected a Conservative motion of non-confidence against the Trudeau government, with 204 voting against and 116 in favour, including all Liberal, NDP, Green, and Bloc Quebecois members.
Plus, Canada Border Services Agency revealed 28,145 active warrants for failed refugee claimants.
And the federal government plans to set targets for temporary resident admissions, aiming to reduce their proportion to 5% of the population within three years, starting in September.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Isaac Lamoureux!
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has ruled out the possibility of allowing fourplex units throughout Ontario, a measure he believes would swiftly be opposed by residents already living in single-family suburban homes.
Ford held a press conference in Richmond Hill on Thursday to announce an investment of over $1.8 billion in infrastructure to help speed up the construction of new homes in the province.
During the announcement, Ford confirmed that automatically allowing fourplexes province-wide was “off the table,” with Ford saying such a change would be a “massive mistake.”
It would allow for developers to build up to four-unit housing on a single property without municipal permission.
“I can assure you 1,000 per cent, you go into communities and start putting up four-storey, six-storey, eight-storey buildings right deep into communities, there’s going to be a lot of shouting and screaming,” said Ford.
Ford noted that municipalities can still decide to allow these developments on their own – they simply won’t be mandated by the province.
Critics of Ford’s housing strategy claim he’s playing NIMBY politics, an acronym which stands for ‘not in my backyard.’
“Housing is much more scarce and expensive today than it was when he was first elected. By all measures that matter, he and his government have failed to improve the situation,” Toronto real estate developer Chris Spoke told True North.
“I think it’d be better for him and for the province as a whole if he recommitted himself to bold, productive action, to ‘get it done,’ rather than throwing his lot in with those people, who we call NIMBYs, who don’t want to get it done, who don’t want to see even gentle intensification within their neighbourhoods, and who would generally prefer a continuation of the status quo than increased affordability and opportunity for Ontarians.” Ford’s own government commissioned a report from the Housing Affordability Taskforce in 2022 to tackle the issue of the housing crisis, and a policy change to allow the construction of fourplexes was one of the report’s recommendations.
“Allow ‘as of right’ residential housing up to four units and up to four storeys on a single residential lot,” reads the report.
The report suggested that greenlighting found-unit buildings on a single residential lot would “allow more kinds of housing that are accessible” to a broader swath of the population.
“It will get more housing built in existing neighbourhoods more quickly than any other measure,” it added.
Thus far, the Ford government has refused to implement the recommendation, despite the fact that it’s failing to meet its target of building 1.5 million new homes by 2031.
“We’re going to build homes, single-dwelling homes and townhomes, that’s what we’re going to focus on,” Ford said on Thursday.
However, developers like Spoke say Ford has broken away from the promises which helped to get him elected.
“Doug Ford spent the last six years establishing a narrative for his PC government as being the government interested in “building Ontario” and getting it done”. I think that narrative has served him very well politically and that it points to action that the province desperately needs,” said Spoke.
“We need more housing, more infrastructure, more hospitals, and so on. The comments he made yesterday and repeated today opposing permissions for fourplex development provincewide mark a significant break from that narrative.”
Canada’s state broadcaster attempted to find out why fewer Canadians are planning to have kids – and failed miserably.
Last month, the CBC published a report titled, “The Cost of Kids: Why fewer people are planning to have kids.” But instead of approaching this vital issue objectively, the CBC fear-mongers and encourages young Canadians to live a child-free life. In fact, everything in this report is nihilistic, impulsive, selfish, and focused on the now. The CBC’s superficial report didn’t once mention the upsides of having children or the broader societal problems that come from a falling fertility rate.
On this episode of The Candice Malcolm Show, Candice walks you through this report, debunks the CBC’s misleading claims and explains how young Canadians actually want to have children and are fully capable of doing so.
Tune into Fake News Friday on The Candice Malcolm Show.
A small British Columbia city’s council is reeling after people were exposed to heterodox views.
Specifically, an edited collection of articles published by True North and Dorchester books calledGrave Error: How The Media Misled Us (and the Truth about Residential Schools), which was distributed in the community by Quesnel Mayor Ron Paull’s wife Pat Morton.
One copy went to the parents of Coun. Tony Goulet, also president of the North Cariboo Métis Association, who complained, “With my dad going to residential school, he brought up a lot of stuff, let me tell you it was contesting that they didn’t exist. Those things are real and they did happen to indigenous people who went through the school, and especially if you were just picked up and taken to the school and everything was taken away from you so, very emotional, it was very hard for me to take.”
Goulet, who claimed to have read the entire book, said that his issue is with the fact that it was being circulated and distributed to the community.
Goulet took no issue with the fact that none of the book’s writers or two editors have ever questioned the existence of the Indian Residential Schools or the poor experiences of some of its students, especially those sent there from broken or orphaned homes.
“It was very disturbing. I was just appalled. People are allowed to have their opinion and I’m not against people having their opinion, but we shouldn’t be detesting things that have been taking place for years with reconciliation and what we’re trying to do with Indigenous elders and Indigenous people, we’re doing an actual injustice by saying here is a book, here is something you should read and look at and form your own opinion. It’s very, very, very traumatizing. It’s very, very, very disrespectful I think to an Indigenous community,” Goulet also stated.
Other council members also criticized the distribution of the book, though none appeared to be familiar with its contents or any of its possible errors.
Quesnel’s population is 20% Indigenous and the issue of the book’s distribution was front and centre at the Mar. 19 council meeting in response to a letter from the Lhtako Dene Indian Band debunking the book’s contents and distribution:
“It has come to our attention that … the book entitled: “Grave Error” … makes many harsh comments including: ‘truth has been turned into a casualty,’ implying that cultural genocide did not occur, and basically questioning the existence of Indian Residential Schools.
“The Nation should not have to defend the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the T’Kemlups te Secwepem’c First Nation, and the Williams Lake First Nation (amongst others) that have been so severely castigated by the authors of the book. The calling into question of what our Nation went through is a slap in our people’s collective faces and is very hurtful to them. The Nation has a significant number of members who suffered through attendance at a Residential School and today suffer through the long-term trauma of what they went through. The book adds to that hurt.”
The book’s contents, for those willing to read them, clearly shows that although integration with Euro-Canadian culture was their aim, “cultural genocide,” a politically loaded but extra-legal synonym for total assimilation, was neither attempted nor achieved by the schools.
Coun. Laurey-Anne Roodenburg, the council’s Indigenous relations liaison, was also very harsh in her comments, saying of the book’s distribution that there “is a consensus among the nations that this is not okay, that their elders and communities are suffering because of this being out in the community.”
There is no excuse for this type of behavior in our community period, and I don’t care that you think it’s about your own opinion and having the right to voice it, it’s about how this showcases our community to the rest of B.C. and to the world,” she said.
Translation: emotion and public relations always trump truth-telling during these DEI dominated times.
More particularly, Roodenburg was calling for the censorship of a book that continues to be an Amazon best seller with thousands of copies sold.
Roodenburg also said that the book’s availability “showed a lack of respect,” apparently indifferent to the lack of respect for freedom of the press her statement carried.
Mayor Paull distanced himself from the book and his wife’s efforts to promote it. Questioned by Coun. Scott Elliott on whether or not he agreed with what his wife did, Paull said he did not.
“I haven’t even opened it; I have looked at the cover but to be honest I have no interest in looking at it,” he said.
How could he therefore condemn the contents of a book he has no familiarity with, in the process condemning his own wife for simply informing others of its existence?
Besides attacking a scholarly work, none of its critics appear to have any even given a glance.
Council unanimously passed two motions: (1) to-meet with elders who had first-hand experience with residential schools; and, (2) to stand with all local bands in denouncing the book and agreeing with the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, another study its members have likely never read.
Does this mean that reconciliation with Indigenous people requires condemning books no one has read and accepting assertions that are known to be false?
Hymie Rubenstein is editor of REAL Indigenous Report and a retired professor of anthropology, the University of Manitoba.
A group representing rural municipalities in Saskatchewan is blasting the federal government’s 30% fertilizer emission reduction target in a budget submission.
The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities sent Ottawa a document which, among other things, pointed out how the government’s agricultural climate plan was unrealistic.
“Saskatchewan is known worldwide as a consistent and reliable supplier of safe, high-quality grains, oilseeds, pulses, livestock, and agri-food products. The United Nations has a goal of eliminating world hunger by 2030,” wrote the municipal group.
“Canada has set a target to increase agriculture exports from $55 billion in 2015 to at least $85 billion by 2025. This 55% increase will not be attainable if the federal government reduces nitrogen fertilizer use by 30%.”
The association recommended that the government abandon what it calls “rigid reductions” and instead “work with industry and grain farmers alike to recognize that steps have already been taken and find workable solutions for the grain industry going forward.”
The group went on to say that farmers are already managing fertilizer use and any further reductions would cause food insecurity.
“Reducing the amount of fertilizer used in Saskatchewan’s agricultural operations would be detrimental and significantly impact Saskatchewan’s role in creating increased food security,” said the submission.
“Another issue that has been brought forward is that (the) federal government also requires a reduction of nitrous oxide as a part of its emissions reduction strategy. Saskatchewan producers would need to lessen the yield or productivity of their operation because the economic impact is just too significant. Future strategies need not compromise productivity of major crops and Saskatchewan.”
A recent study by the Global Institute for Food Security found that Saskatchewan farmers were global leaders when it came to low-emission agricultural practices.
Data showed that the province’s farming emissions were much lower than the global average as well as the Canadian average.
True North reached out to Agriculture Canada on the group’s budget submission and was told by senior communications advisor Samantha Seary that adopting fertilizer emission targets would not limit the country’s food production.
“Instead, we want to support producers in implementing voluntary measures to maximize efficiency, optimize fertilizer use, and encourage innovation to reduce their emissions over the long term, while maintaining or growing crop yields. Canadian producers are experts at managing and protecting their land for future generations. They are already adapting to new growing conditions caused by climate change, as their ability to make a living depends on a healthy environment,” Seary told True North.
“Fertilizers are an essential input for farmers, especially at a time when food insecurity has reached unprecedented levels worldwide. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is also working with the sector to support a wide range of beneficial management practices (BMPs) and technologies that can provide cost savings and fertilizers emissions reductions.”
Seary pointed to several initiatives, including a $1.5 billion investment by the federal government into agriculture over 2021 and 2022.
